Legitimately Intelligent
by Obsidian And Cobalt
Summary: Because emotions refuse to be sensible. Oneshot.


_**Disclaimer – I don't own Strawberry Panic  
**_

_**Legitimately Intelligent**_

_It's so stupid._

Aoi Nagisa continued her ramble through the forest area of Astraea Hill. She scuffed at the dirt trail with her boots with each step, scowling to herself.

_I'm not the most sensible person ever, but even by my standards; this is stupid._

Without warning, rain began to splatter down around her; much to her distaste.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

Her hair soon became soaked, bangs plastering themselves to her forehead as her clothes grew leaden with water.

Turning to look to her side, she watched distantly as the rain came down heavily onto the surface of the lake and causing small splashes. She was feeling all the more foolish for not bringing her umbrella with her when the sky was a dark gray when she had left the dorms.

Rain was a blatant factor for the evening; yet she had ignored it – overly eager to get away from everyone for a while.

Feeling embarrassed, annoyed and vaguely reluctant; she turned on her heel and started to walk back towards the dorms – the idea of catching the flu not seeming very alluring to her.

***  
The door to her shared bedroom swung open before she even grabbed the door handle.

"I was just coming to look for you…Ahh, Nagisa-chan; you're soaked!"

Suzumi Tamao's voice was filled with concern as she acknowledged the fact that her roommate was positively drenched and looked utterly distraught.

Realizing how much of a sight she must have been, Nagisa scratched the back of her neck awkwardly and gave her best attempt at a reassuring smile.

"Sorry…I lost track of time and got caught in the rain…"

She squirmed under the concerned gaze, cautiously stepping around her friend and into the bedroom.

"I'll go take a bath." Without waiting for an answer, she walked into the bathroom – about to close the door before the other girl spoke.

"Wait, Nagisa-chan!"

The cherry haired girl paused, poking her head around the bathroom door; still wearing her half-hearted smile.

"Yeah?"

"Are you…Okay?" Closing the bedroom door and leaning against it, her roommate looked caught somewhere between concerned and confused. "You've been acting strange recently, I mean."

"I'm fine, Tamao-chan. You don't need to worry."

But her words lacked any sincere feeling; her sad expression and hollowness ringing in the words ironically made the poet want to worry that much more.

***  
Nanto Yaya snickered as she watched the junior in front of her shift uncomfortably and stare down at the tea in her hands.

"There _is_ someone you like. I knew it!"

"Baka," the flustered pinkett hissed under her breath.

"Say, where's Nagisa-chan?" Eager to stop the teasing conversation between her best friend and under class man from escalating into a fight; Hikari quickly spoke up.

Wicked smirk dying on her lips and expression turning to curiosity – Yaya looked away from the girl squirming under her stare and glanced at the poet from across the small table used for tea-parties.

"I felt like something was wrong, but I couldn't figure it out…" The dark haired girl smiled in amusement. "I can't believe I didn't notice. Where _is_ Nagisa-chan?"

They all watched in fascination as the question appeared to make Tamao uneasy, swirling the last of the lavender tea in her cup as she tried to seem nonchalant.

Ironically, she had chosen to brew lavender tea to calm herself down.

"Still in the bath...She asked to pass her in a book after about an hour ago. I guess she's enjoying the heat. Or the literature."

Doubtful silence strained in the room.

"I didn't know Nagisa-senpai liked to read," Tsubomi murmured, quirking an eyebrow.

"She doesn't. At least, not the last time I checked."

Setting down her now empty cup and picking up a biscuit, Yaya chewed the sweet as she narrowed her eyes. "Come to think of it, she's been acting weird recently. Or is it just me?"

She nearly choked on the biscuit as the junior smacked her on the back.

"You're spitting crumbs everywhere! Don't talk with your mouth full."

Rolling her eyes in defeat as the inevitable arguing of the night broke out, Hikari looked considerate as she looked over to the hostess of the midnight rendezvous.

"I agree with Yaya-chan. Nagisa-chan does seem a little…off these days."

Tamao sighed heavily and refilled her cup.

"I know. But she won't talk to me, and I haven't the vaguest idea what could be bothering her. I mean – she never stays in the bathroom for this long. Not to mention; I gave her an English book. So either she's trying to avoid me, or she's gained a shockingly good grasp on the English language without me noticing and finds _Wuthering Heights_ enjoyable."

"Spoilt brat, you should show some respect for your elders!"

"I'm not a brat – I'm thirteen! You should learn how to act your age and develop some table manners."

The only two conversing civilly sighed, gave up on cheerful conversation. Instead, the pair of them watched their other two friends bickering.

***  
Nagisa groaned and let the book she had borrowed drop over the side of the bath; landing on the bathroom floor with a thud.

Thanks to the book being in English, she could make out about one word in every ten. As well as that, it seemed too complex and boring to follow. Like most books she tried to strike up an interest in.

The bath water was going cold after the hour and a half she had spent in it, the cold air leaking in from the semi-open bathroom window hitting against her damp shoulders and earning a shiver.

Yet, she didn't want to get out. Because that would mean she would have to face her roommate and her friends; have to act casual and pretend that she didn't feel like her head was melting.

But in reality; it was past curfew and she was still in the bath.

A cold bath at that.

With possibly the most boring book ever.

Save for a French textbook…

It was time to get out.

***  
The quiet of the room was beginning to strain, with no actual conversation going on except for the occasional insult being thrown between the ever-disagreeable senior and junior.

Thankfully, the sound of the bathroom door opening sparked up some conversation.

Nagisa walked into the bedroom, toweling off her still-damp hair as she gave a smile to her friends.

"Hi."

"I was starting to wonder if you'd drowned in there," Yaya smirked.

"Heh. I just didn't want to get out, I was too cold." Dropping the towel onto her bed, she sat down with the rest of the group.

"As you should have been; walking about in the rain like that." Filling her bestfriends` cup with some of the tea, there was a sullen tone to Tamao's voice.

Hikari glanced to the redhead in surprise. "What were you doing out in the rain?"

"You trying to catch pneumonia?" Another of her friends contributed to the conversation, flicking a strand of dark hair out of her eyes with a skeptical look.

Nagisa took a gulp of tea, the cup hiding her frown.

Off all the things that were running riot in her head, the last thing she needed was endless contradiction and relentless questions; both of which seemed to be on the cards for the remainder of the meet-up.

"I wasn't _walking_ in the rain…I just got caught in it…" She muttered after swallowing the liquid.

"Still, it'd been raining earlier and it looked like it would again," Tsubomi informed distantly, glaring at the girl beside her as she shifted, bumping against her and causing the pinkette to spill her tea over herself.

"Geez, give me a break," Yaya cried, lifting her hands defensively at such a dirty look.

_My thoughts exactly,_ Nagisa thought flatly before shaking her head; trying to clear it of bitter thoughts.

"I still think you should've stayed in…" There was still a bit of an edge to the poets' voice; something between concern and frustration.

The rest of the group turned to look at her in surprise, not used to her being anything else but cheerful and optimistic.

She suddenly smiled calmly, any aggravation she had felt earlier seeming to fall away.

"Anyway, it's getting late. We should all probably head to bed."

Hikari stood up almost immediately, nodding in agreement. "We'll sleep in all day otherwise. Goodnight."

Yaya followed suit, hiding the fact that she was a bit curious to why her friend was so eager to leave. Throwing an arm around the latters' shoulders, she grinned at the blush the sudden contact earned. "The tea was great; see you two in the morning."

"Thank you, Senpai, and goodnight." Tsubomi barely had time to bow her head before Yaya clapped her hand down on her head.

"Right, Squirt, you've said your goodnights; now go to bed. You need your beauty sleep…Sad to say there aren't enough hours in the night."

Before the junior could yell an insult, she was steered out of the room whilst the others followed her out; Nagisa calling a goodnight after them.

***

Having abandoned the junior girl a few moments ago, leaving her to walk to the other side of the dorms back to her room; the remaining two walked up the hallway towards their room. The lead soloist of the saintly chorus paused mid-step without warning.

"Hey, Hikari…"

The girl in question stopped walking, turning to face her.

"Why did you leave so fast? I mean, the second Tamao-chan mentioned going to bed you were up like a shot."

Hikari looked considerate for a moment before speaking, thinking about how to phrase her words.

"Well…I just felt like everything was strained. Didn't you think it was tense? Nagisa-chan was really serious, and Tamao-chan was acting sort of bitter."

Yaya's eyebrows shot up, vanishing beneath her bangs as a thought whizzed through her head.

"You reckon there's something they're not telling us? Trouble in paradise?"

"I think so…It was like sitting in the middle of a lovers quarrel in there."

Shaking her head and resuming walking, her friend fell in-step beside her.

"I knew it felt a bit weird in there, but I didn't think it was…_that_. I have to admit though, I'm a bit pissed that they didn't tell me that they hooked up."

"I could be wrong, Yaya-chan. I said it _felt_ like a lovers quarrel, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it _was_ one."

She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eye, watching the annoyed but thoughtful expression on her usually lax roommates' face.

"Maybe they just had a fight and didn't want to talk about it."

"I guess…Ugh, why are we talking about romance? I need sleep!" Stretching her arms above her head and walking faster, Yaya dropped the conversation; eager to go to bed and hope that when she woke up the next morning, the two girl's would be back to normal.

***  
Pulling back the blankets and exposing the sheet beneath, Nagisa was about to climb into her bed before arms wrapped around her waist from behind; pulling her back against a soft body.

She stiffened, swallowing heavily.

"Nagisa-chan, what's wrong?"

"Eh? Nothing." She acted oblivious as she tried to squirm out of her friends' hold.

"You've been acting weird for a while now...Please, you know you can tell me anything."

"Tamao-chan, let go." Reaching downwards, she grasped onto the poets' hands. She had originally meant to pry them apart and break free, but instead found herself squeezing them; as if looking for reassurance.

She tugged her hands free, only to let them rest atop those of her roommates', threading their fingers together.

"There _is_ something the matter."

"It's stupid."

"So you admit there's something wrong?"

The cherry-haired girl opened her mouth then closed it again – realizing that she had just set herself up.

But she had barely managed to admit it to herself. There was no way that she could talk about it to anyone.

Particularly to the girl it involved.

It just couldn't be done.

She shrugged her friend off; pulling free and turning to face her.

"I can't talk about it with you." The look of hurt she got took her by surprise. She had expected a retort of some sort, to be told that she could talk to her about anything.

But instead, the poet turned her back to her, heading towards her own bed.

"Okay. I understand."

"Tamao-chan, I didn't mean to -"

"No, it's fine. Honestly."

Nagisa sighed, chewing her lower lip as she thought. She couldn't let the conversation end like this; the guilt of hurting her friends' feelings would keep her awake all night.

"I like someone."

She spoke before she could figure out a way to word the sentence better.

_Talk about giving yourself away…_

She felt her ears going hot as she looked aside, purposely avoiding the other girls' gaze.

"Is that all?" The poet smiled in relief and affection as she watched her roommate go redder than her hair. "I was getting worried; you've been acting so strange recently."

The other girl murmured and fidgeted awkwardly, clearly embarrassed as she hurriedly turned and clambered into bed.

"Who is it?" Tamao's voice was significantly more cheerful, but still a bit apprehensive as it was clear to see that her friend didn't want to talk about it. None the less, she was curious and decided that prodding for answers gently wouldn't be too annoying.

She had to supress a giggle as the redhead yanked the blankets over her head. Leaning over her, she placed a hand on her shoulder and adopted a teasing tone of voice.

"Na-gi-sa-chan~"

"Doesn't matter." Her voice sounded a bit more clipped and nervous than planned, though her roommate either didn't notice or didn't mind.

"Please…I promise I'll leave you alone if you tell me."

The one under the blankets curled up tightly, feeling her heart begin to race. She was more than aware of how close her bestfriend was; she could even feel her breath brushing against her ear through the thin blankets. The hand splayed over her shoulder was a soft touch that she would undoubtedly crave now.

The poet drummed her fingers as she waited for a reply; not seeming to notice that the digits were brushing against her collar bone, alarmingly close to her chest and causing her breath to catch in her throat.

It was in an instance she was certain. There was no doubt now, she really did have a serious crush now. Not just on a girl - the idea of which was utterly ludicrous during her first year of joining Miator – but on her bestfriend.

Who she shared a room with. The poet may have flirted on occasion, but she was sure that it was nothing more than a bit of friendly teasing. If her roommate found out; she doubted that she would be ridiculed, but it was certain that things would be made significantly more awkward between them.

"Nagisa-chan? You still awake under there?" Obviously losing patience and wanting an answer, Tamao broke the silence with a light-hearted joke.

"Uhh…your hand's getting a bit low…" She forced the words out as she felt a soft touch brushing against her chest.

"Oh!" The hand jerked away. "Sorry! I didn't notice." There was no mistaking the other girls' mortified tone of voice.

The redhead sighed in relief, but ironically felt a tinge of disappointment as distance was rapidly put between them. She kicked off the blankets, standing up and walking towards the door; she flicked the light switch beside it.

Darkness filled the room.

"We really should get to bed."

Stumbling back towards her bed in the dark, she collided with something half-way there.

"Ahh!"

"Sorry." A soft but firm grasp found its way to her forearms, helping her keep her balance. "I was about to get in your bed, to surprise you," the poet admitted shyly. "Maybe it wasn't the best idea ever."

"Tamao-chan, you scared me." The darkness hid her pout.

"Does that mean I can sleep beside you? You're scared, after all…" The girl giggled, poking fun at her friend.

She may not have been able to see very much in the dark, but she could almost sense how close they were. When her friend laughed, she could feel hot huffs of air brushing against her neck. Apparently, she had her head bowed, looking at the floor as she teased.

The redhead could feel herself smile giddily from the close contact; wanting to say yes and spend the night huddled up close to her roommate, even if it did just remind her that she could look but not touch.

Her thoughts were shattered however, when she felt the poets nose bump against her own.

_How close are we?_

She wasn't sure if she was going to blush or turn pale.

_This isn't good, we're too close!_

She tried to pull back, but the other girl was still holding onto her.

"Ta-Tamao-chan, I -" She briefly contemplated the consequences of coming clean, or even stealing a kiss before forcing the thoughts away.

Even she knew that letting temptation control her instead of rationality would end badly.

She attempted once again to step back, but the grip on her arms tightened, pulling her closer.

She suddenly realized that her roommate was being very quiet; though her breathing sounded ragged and fearful.

"Nagisa-chan, I…I…" She spoke at last, suddenly sounding sincere, her voice shaking. "I need to tell you…"

The redhead was barely listening.

Here she was, in the dark with the girl who had caused so many sleepless nights over the past few months. To make it worse; the latter was clinging onto her whilst holding her unnervingly close.

_Maybe throwing rationality out the window won't be so bad…  
_  
"I've meant to tell you this for a while now," her roommate continued.

_I mean, if I make it really quick, she won't mind too much, right?_

"But I've always put it off…" Her voice cracked fearfully.

_Forgive me, Tamao-chan._

Cutting off the poet mid-sentence; Nagisa brought up a hand to rest at the back of her friends head, pulling her close as she leant forward and found her lips in the darkness of the room.

Her free hand rested on her roommates shoulder, and she clutched on to her tightly. Almost as if she was holding onto the feeling of acting on her late-night fantasies. But feeling the girl gasp against her kiss – she realized how blatantly insane she was being.

She didn't so much break away as she did fling herself backwards.

For once, she was happy for the lack of light and abundance of shadows in the room, for it was doing a wonderful job keeping her flushed complexion and look of shame hidden by the night.

"You…Just kissed me."

Even Tamao herself wasn't sure if it was supposed to be a question or a statement.

"Nagisa-chan, what…why?"

The aforementioned girl rubbed her arm awkwardly; feeling her throat go dry as words abandoned her. There goes any hope she had of talking her way out of it.

"Well…At least now you know who I like."

_What am I saying? Don't make it worse!  
_  
The silence that followed must have only lasted several seconds at best; but a felt like a lifetime to her. Maybe she had misjudged Tamao. Maybe the said girl was fine with the girl's around them getting together – but detested the idea of being involved in that sort of thing.

Actually, she didn't even _know _if her roommate actually swung that way…

_Oh my god, what did I do._

There was every chance that she was a second away from getting a slap to the face.

Before the redhead could choke out an apology; her friend barrelled into her and almost knocked her off her feet – arms winding tightly around her neck in the process.

"Good."

The simple, random word made no sense, but thankfully it was quickly explained.

"I'm glad I'm the one you like."

In all honesty, that could go either way. Right now, Nagisa wasn't sure if she was getting tactfully rejected or getting her feelings returned.

She figured it was the latter that was most likely when she found her kiss from earlier being returned.

_**Sweet Jesus, when was the last time I wrote for this fandom? XD *Nostalgia trip* This has been pissing around my document for ages. Unfinished. So I just whacked in an ending and uploaded it for teh lawlz. Probably crappy and outta character, but I tried D: Sort of. Derp :B Reviews are still epic.  
-Cobalt  
X3**_


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